For a second week in succession, a young LIV Golf talent has shown what they are made of and emerged through a star-studded field for a big-time win, this time at the Australian PGA Championship
David Puig surged to victory at the Australian PGA Championship on Sunday(Image: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
LIV Golf young gun David Puig became the first Spaniard since the great Seve Ballesteros to get his hands on he coveted Australian PGA Championship trophy, outclassing a star-studded field in Brisbane on Sunday.
The 23-year-old claimed his third career win, edging out Ding Wenyi by two shots at Royal Queensland to complete an excellent week for the Sergio Garcia protege. The Fireballs talent, who made just two bogeys all week, carded a bogey-free five-under-par 66 on Sunday to reach 18-under-par for the tournament and claim his first DP World Tour victory.
Puig’s win in Australia, the first by a Spaniard since five-time major champion Ballesteros in 1981, made it back-to-back victories for top talents on LIV Golf, following up Fireballs teammate Josele Ballester’s breakthrough victory at the Saudi International a week ago.
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Puig was playing his first tournament as a full member of the DP World Tour and put on a glittering display of his talents, outplaying a field that included 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott and rising PGA Tour star Min Woo Lee.
A $1.6 million purse was up for grabs on Australia’s Gold Coast, and Puig banked the top prize of $278,00, supplementing the $8.5 million he earned on LIV in 2025. It is Puig’s first victory of the season, and he was relieved to get over the line.
“It feels amazing. I’ve really had a lot of close calls in a few events throughout this year and last year and I kind of wasn’t able to pull it through,” he said.
“It feels unbelievable, especially to win here in Australia, and I played some awesome golf, so I’m really excited and happy. I was definitely nervous, but I think I kept my composure pretty well and obviously that start [to the final round] helped a lot,”
Puig, who started the final round in a three-way tie for the lead with Ricardo Gouveia and Anthony Quayle, signaled his intent early on Sunday, carding three birdies in his opening four holes to race into the lead.
He picked up another shot at the par-three eighth to put himself in a commanding position at the turn, and he coasted to victory with a one-under-par back nine in a display of impressive poise under pressure.
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Home favorite and fellow LIV Golf member Marc Leishman finished three shots off the pace in a tie for third at 15-under par, one shot ahead of popular Aussie talent Lee, who had to settle for a tie for fifth on home soil.
Former world No. 1 Scott, one of Australia’s all-time greats, could not keep pace with the low scoring of Puig. He could only muster a two-under-par 69 and finished in seventh place, five shots adrift of the winner.
A blockbuster two weeks of golf Down Under continues on Thursday, with a stacked field headlined by world No. 2 Rory McIlroy set to battle for Australian Open glory and the prestigious Stonehaven Cup at Royal Melbourne.
